The
Painter
                of
the
                                          Night


        Someone
called
in
a
                report
that
                            she
had
seen
a
        man
                                          painting
in
the
                        dark
over
by
the
                            pond.
A
                                                        police
    car
was
            dispatched
to
go
              investigate.
The
two
                                          officers
with
their
big
          flashlights
walked
all
                                                                      around
the
                    pond,
but
found
          nothing
    suspicious.
              hatcher
was
the
younger
of
the
                                          two,
and
he
said
to
                            Johnson,
"What
do
you
                                          think
he
was
                        painting?"
Johnson
looked
      bemused
and
said,
"The
          dark,
              stupid.
What
else
                                                        could
he
have
been
    painting?"
Hatcher,
a
                    little
hurt,
said,
"Frogs
in
the
Dark,
              Lily
pads
in
the
    Dark,
                                                        Pond
in
the
          Dark.
Just
as
many
things
                        exist
in
the
              dark
as
they
do
in
the
        light."
Johnson
paused
          exasperated.
Then
                                                                      Hatcher
added,
"I'd
like
to
see
them.
                Hell,
I
might
even
buy
one.
                                                      Maybe
there's
more
out
there
                            than
we
know.
We
                                          are
the
          police,
after
all.
We
    need
        to
            know."